Deep Ties

#askvarsha contest Ask Author Varsha Dixit a question on your blog and she will answer you in her own unique way. Watch out this space for more. Only the best questions will be selected. My Question for #askvarsha is... Hi Varsha, your title is very eye-catching. Did you feel that using an oxymoron would not only catch eye-balls, but also bring out the contrast in the natures of your main characters?  RIGHTFULLY WRONG, WRONGFULLY RIGHT by Varsha Dixit Blurb Love is in the air again…this time it’s steamy, bold and manipulative! Gayatri and Viraj both are products of childhood trauma. Yet they were able to survive, one because of her shrewdness and the other because of his genius. Rightfully Wrong Wrongfully Right, the final part in the best selling ‘Right and Wrong’ love trilogy is the story of these two damaged souls. Gayatri Dutta, the poster child for rich spoiled diva is fighting to escape a life of servitude her tyrant father is hell be...

                               If you have ever witnessed Russian Matryoshka Dolls, those intriguing little nesting figures that magically appear, one after the other, from one single doll, you will realize how similarly Ayan Pal’s resourceful imagination produces stories, one after the other, in easy succession. ‘Confessions on an Island’ talks about a storyteller who gets trapped in her own maze of tales, a sinister man who holds her ransom for apparently his own devious ends, and an island that listens, patient and sympathetic, an unwilling witness to the events being played out on it. The storyteller is thrown into an unexpected situation. “It had seemed like the perfect plan. But maybe it was a little too perfect – for someone else.” The hint of intrigue stays with the reader throughout the book keeping him teetering on the edge of his seat. Every story narrated leads to another born out...

                            It is a rare pleasure when a young poet voices his thoughts on the plight of humanity so emotionally. Nitin Soni, known popularly as the Curly Poet, has proved why he has such an impressive fan following. His poems revolve around issues that impact the world, issues which need to be addressed, like poverty, racism, rape and heartbreak. The first poem titled ‘Resurrect’ creates an atmosphere of sorrow in the midst of joy, and sets the tone. The poet’s heart obviously bleeds for oppressed women, as is revealed in many of the poems in this collection. ‘Ravages’ rends the heart with a plea to save girls, sisters, mothers and daughters from “those beasts/Who molested humanity, love, affection, brotherhood, sisterhood/And celebrated wickedness.” ‘Oh, Ugly Woman’ berates the men who mock at “a painted ugly woman/ who always ends up in bed, /In blood.” ‘Even She’ is an inevitable rem...

A poignant and heartwarming novel by Falguni Kothari MY LAST LOVE STORY  BY  FALGUNI KOTHARI BLURB Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes’s, Me Before You, My Last Love Story is a heartbreaking and poignant tale about the complexities of trauma and whether love can right a wrong.  ***  I, Simeen Desai, am tired of making lemonade with the lemons life has handed me.  Love is meant to heal wounds.  Love was meant to make my world sparkle and spin.  Love has ripped my life apart and shattered my soul.  I love my husband, and he loves me.  But Nirvaan is dying.  I love my husband. I want to make him happy.  But he is asking for the impossible.  I don’t want a baby.  I don’t want to make nice with Zayaan.  I don’t want another chance at another love story.  ***WARNING***  Weepers, keep tissues handy. Grab your copy @ Amazon.com | Amazon...

A ray of sunshine is a powerful pick-me-up, that warms the cockles of the heart, and Sundari Venkatraman has used this little truth to create her latest anthology titled ‘Tales of Sunshine’.  From the eye-catching cover itself, which is a cornucopia of pleasant little snapshots, to the stories within, she takes care that enough sunshine is showered on her readers. The narrative is simple, and the words chosen with care, fly off the storyteller’s pen with ease. Whether it is the large-hearted Raj who lays off people in his company by offering them a wonderful sop in ‘A Ray of Sunshine’, or the smart, high-flying Rekha who finds an unexpected solution to her own domestic problem in ‘Until Death Do Us Apart”, the reader is carried along. Sundari touches upon the dilemma faced by modern-day students whose parents and loved ones expect too much of them in the choices they make in life. Preeti finds herself akin to “a bone that was being fought over by a couple of ferociou...

"A story is only as true as you believe it to be.” “What if the maiden was the monster?” the tagline jumps out at you; if that isn’t intriguing enough, Sukanya Venkatraghavan catapults you into a whirlpool  where you end up gasping, as you land in the midst of a world populated by Yakshis, Gandharvas, Huldras and Apsaras. 'Dark Things' published by Hatchette India starts off on  the premise that “...monsters exist. They roam the earth. They scope the sky. They haunt the underworld.” The novel revolves around Ardra, the Yakshi, “a beautiful unreal creature with invisible wings and bits of storm in her hair.” Her journey begins as she strives to go back into her memories, which have been rudely torn apart by Hera, the Empress of Atala and the evil Queen of Secrets, an overpowering figure who has a terribly devious plan that threatens to upset the balance of the world, and rip its fabric apart. A number of memorable characters strut across the stage – Dara, t...